The Willow Tea Rooms Trust purchased the premises at 217 Sauchiehall Street in July 2014. As well as restoring the original Tea Rooms and famous Salon de Luxe, the Willow Tea Rooms Trust successfully incorporated an Interactive Visitor Exhibition, Education & Learning Suite, Conference Facilities and Retail Centre to ensure that not only this building is celebrated, but other works of Mackintosh are included and enjoyed for generations to come. The achievements of Miss Cranston have also be highlighted within the Visitor Centre, as her success as an early female entrepreneur will be an inspiration to many.
In September 2018 Mackintosh at the Willow opened to the public. The original Willow Tea Rooms building was restored to its former glory and the new interactive exhibition, meeting spaces and learning and education facilities were opened for the first time. Since opening there has been a focus on training and learning and education programmes. You read more about this by visiting our education page.
Mackintosh at the Willow was acquired by the National Trust for Scotland in 2024. We continue to work hard to protect the heritage of the building and the legacy of both Mackintosh and Miss Cranston. We have been working closely with our local community to educate and become a central hub, using heritage as an enabler to do so. We have seen great success in the last year, gaining many accolades for the precision to detail of the restoration, something that is so important to ensure the building can be shared with future generations.